Open Access, High Ambitions - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences
Abstract
By Richard Gallagher Fueled by scientists' resentment at perceived exploitation by established publishers, and driven by new opportunities in information technology, open access publishing burst onto the scene in biomedicine about five years ago. Most readers of The Scientist will be aware of the principal, two-part, argument in its favor, namely that: Maximum dissemination of properly peer-reviewed research is good for authors, good for funders, and, most importantly, good for progress of science, and Maximum dissemination is best ensured by immediate free access to published research papers. With this issue, we are delighted to welcome Richard Gallagher as the new Editor of The Scientist. He has a PhD in immunology from Glasgow University and six years of postdoc research experience. He left research to become editor of Immunology Today in 1989. Subsequently he worked as senior editor of Science in Cambridge, England. Most recently he was the biology editor, then publisher of Nature. We look forward to exciting editorial development of The Scientist under his leadership. --Alexander M. Grimwade, publisher Open access publishing has moved rapidly from the revolutionary to the relative mainstream. Numerous journals now cater to a wide range of scientific disciplines and subdisciplines. It also